Incinerator



l1ll3,530,805

United States Patent tion having provisions for burning any combustible gases in the combustion products and finally scrubbing and cleaning the same by steam and water spray to insure an exhaust free of smoke and noxious gases.

Patented Sept. 29, 1970 Sheet INVENTOR VERNON. D. BOWMAN Patented Sept. 29, 1970 Sheet R O T m V m INCINERATOR This invention relates to incinerators and more specifically to incinerators for consuming waste material such as trash and garbage and to such incinerators which are provided with means to purify the exhaust gases or combustion products by burning all combustible constituents therein and finally scrubbing the gases to remove all traces of dust, fly ash, smoke and the like so that only clean and noninjurious gases are released in the atmosphere.

ln recent times, due to greater industrialization, the problem of air pollution has become increasingly serious, in fact, in some areas the problem has not only created conditions which are unpleasant to humans and are destructive of property but are actually harmful to health. Governments, municipal, state and federal, have therefore become alerted to the dangers and have already exacted certain requirements and placed certain restrictions on industry and individuals especially in the field of smoke and exhaust gas control to reduce and, if possible, eliminate pollution of the atmosphere.

Applicant has sought to solve the problem by providing an incinerator in which a high intensity flame is played on a perforated revolving drum which contains the waste to be disposed of to first dry and then substantially completely consume the same and in addition by providing a scrubbing and purifying device which burns all the combustible material and ingredients in the exhaust products from the incinerator by utilizing a second high intensity burner and finally a steam and water bath to remove all solid material so that only inert gasses are released into the atmosphere.

lt is one object, therefore to produce a device of the character mentioned which will adequately and efficiently burn waste material without releasing objectionable and harmful fumes into the atmosphere.

lt is another object to produce such a device which is simple in structure and efficient in operation and which will operate over long periods without special maintenance.

The above and other objects and advantages will become more apparent as this description proceeds and reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification. ln said drawings:

FlG. l is'a perspective view partly broken away of a combined incinerator and exhaust scrubbing device according to my invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear view; and

FlG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the device.

' Referring now to the drawing in detail, the device consists of two main portions, that generally indicated A is the incinerator and that generally B is the exhaust scrubbing unit mounted on top of the incinerator.

The incinerator comprises a rotary perforated drum l enclosed with a housing ll. The drum is rotatably supported on four rollers l2 mounted within the housing. The drum is rotated by a prime mover and reduction gearing 13 mounted on a bracket 14 attached to the outer wall of the housing 11.

A burner member l5, mounted on a bracket 16 also attached to the housing ll, has its gun portion 17 projecting through the housing wall and directed toward the cylindrical outer surface of the drum l0. As may be seen, the drum is perforated with a multiplicity of openings 18 so that the flame from the burner will penetrate to the interior thereof and contact the matter contained therein.

One end of the drum l0 is open at 19 and the housing l1 is provided with a hinged access door 20 opposite the open end of the drum to provide for easy loading of the material to be burned into the same.

A second door 2l is provided in the housing ll below the access door 20 and communicates with the space below the drum within the housing which space forms, in effect, an ash pit in the housing.

The operation of the incinerator is as follows-the waste material to be consumed is loaded into the drum through access door 20. The drum then rotates at a relatively slow speed while the flame from burner l5 plays thereon and through the holes therein to dry and ultimately consume the waste therein. At the same time, the rotation of the drum will cause the ashes from the consumed waste to sift through the perforations 18 and fall into the ash pit below the drum to be later removed through the door 2l.

The housing l1 above the incinerator portion is tapered inwardly into a somewhat pyramidal plenum chamber and coriducts the products of combusion into the scrubber section B.

The scrubber comprises a housing 25 surmounting the plenum chamber containing therewithin a flue member 26 in communication with the plenum chamber. The flue has a somewhat reduced upper end 27 with a slightly flanged in upper terminus 28. A cylindrical deflector member 29 concentrically surrounds the member 27 and has a dorned closed top 30 above the terminus 28 of the flue.

The deflector 29 is supported by means of a plate 3l fastened thereto and to the inner surface of the housing 25 which plate 'is provided with a multiplicity of perforations 32, the function of which will be described hereinafter.

An additional plate 33 extends between and is sealed to the inner surface of the housing 25 and the outer surface of the flue member 26 at the point where the f'lue is reduced, between portions 26 and 27 thereof, and forms a reservoir for water as will be described hereinafter.

The lower portion of the deflector 29 is perforated at 34 and extends down into relatively close relationship with the plate 33.

A burner 35 is supported on the outer surface ofthe housing by a bracket 36 and has its gun portion 37 extending through the housing 25 and flue 26 with its inner end 38 directed upwardly toward the reduced end 27 of the flue.

As stated previously the plate 33 and the inner walls of the casing 25 form a water bath and reservoir which is supplied by a water feed pipe 39. An over-flow pipe 40 maintains proper water level in this reservoir which is approximately at the lower end of deflector 29.

A water spray 41 above the dome top 30 of the deflector is also provided, which spray is directed downwardly and outwardly above the perforated plate 3l. This spray receives ita water from a supply tank 42 located in the housing 1l of the incinerator. The pump 43 draws the water from the tank through the filter screen 44 and delivers it to the spray 4l. Water for the reservoir above plate 33 may also be supplied from the supply tank if desired, and the overflow from the reservoir may, if desired, be returned to the tank.

ln order to reduce radiation and afford better combustion in the incinerator, the housing l1 and lower portion of housing 25 may be made with double walls with insulation therebetween as shown at 45. This however is not of absolute necessity.

The upper portion of housing 25 is reduced above the dome 30 of the deflector and communicates with an exhaust' stack 46 which opens into the atmosphere. lf desired a screen 47 may be employed at the upper exhaust end of stack 46.

The scrubber section B functions as follows:

Exhaust gases from the incinerator are conducted upwardly through the plenum chamber of housing 1l and into the flue member 26. As they pass the burner any combustible matter, both solid and gaseous are consumed in the high intensity flame. They then enter the reduced end 27 of the flue and upon emergence therefrom are directed downwardly by the deflector 29 and pass through perforations 34 therein to the space over the water bath between the flue 26, 27, which is heated to steaming temperature by the burner 38 directly therebelow. They then pass upwardly through the perforated plate 3l, through the water spray and out of the stack 46. The steam bath and water spray will capture all fine ash and the like which the gases may be carrying and the final vapors emitted from the stack will be substantially free of all harmful ingredients and smoke and will not pollute the atmosphere.

The scrubber section B of the instant device is somewhat similar to and is a modification of that disclosed in my copending application for exhaust gas smoke burner and scrubber, Ser. No. 696,900, filed Jan. lO, 1968.

Having thus disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it understood that l do not desire to be limited specifically thereto, but only to the extent required by the prior art and as defined in the appended claim.

l claim:

i. A combination incinerator and exhaust scrubbing apparatus comprising:

a. a housing;

b. a drum mounted for rotation in said housing;

c. means for rotating said drum;

d. a fuel burner mounted on said housing and positioned to direct a flame against said drum;

e. means to provide access to the interior of said drum for loading the same with material to be incinerated;

f. said housing having an exhaust passage leading therefrom for carrying off exhaust gases from the burning material;

g. a second fuel burner in said exhaust passage for consuming any combustible ingredients in said gases;

h. a water bath in said exhaust passage positioned to be heated by said second fuel burner to generate steam over said water bath in said exhaust passage; and

i. a water spray in said exhaust passage above said water bath; said exhaust gases passing through the steam over the water bath and through the water spray whereby any dust, fly ash and soluble gases in the exhaust gases will be captured. 

